Amsterdam ~ what is with the bikes?!?
Ahhh, Amsterdam. The land of the Dutch, the land of the tulip, the land of the pot. I have been hearing a lot about Holland since meeting Liz, 13 years ago. (Holy crap time does fly sometimes...) Being Dutch, I heard about the coffee, the flowers, the bikes and yes, the pot in Amsterdam. This was one port I was really looking forward to seeing. Something about always hearing about it that makes you want to get out there.
Since we only dock here once, I was bound to make the best of it. I checked in with my old boss Stef ~ his girlfriend is from Amsterdam and figured she would have the inside scoop on what I needed to do. In the 3 hours I had, I managed to fit in a few things.
My first impression ~ do none of these people own cars? Every where you turned, you saw people on bikes like the one I rode when I was 9. There may be 2 gears if you are lucky, the basket seems to be a must and every where you go, there is parking for them. I wish I took a photo, but there was a 'parking garage' for bikes. Yes, just like a car garage, there were 3 levels, all side by side with racks for parking your bike. Amazing part, it was FULL!
As I got over the main mode of transportation, I set myself up to take a canal tour. It takes an hour and shows you the highlights of the city. Anouk was right, good way to get your bearings and see the city. The tour left at 2pm so I had a bit of time to wander around. I managed to wander through some streets catching sniffs of pot here, sniffs of pot there. I wonder how many people become stoned just from being 'around'. Anyway, the streets were cute, the stores sold everything from bongs, to mushrooms, to lingerie, to elaborate sex shops. The incredible part about it all was that despite the nature of the business, none of it was seedy. They were all respectable shops just out to do their business.
Made it back to the canal to board the boat ~ yes you would think I would have enough of the water tranportation ~ anyway... Only drawback on this was that the boat had a roof. It would have been a much more enjoyable cruise if the views had not been obstructed by the boat. Anyway, did my best to lean out with the camera and catch the snapshot of the canal.
Everything here is surrounded by water. I had no idea that Amsterdam had such an intricate water system. (Although I also didn't pay attention and apparently we had to pass through 2 locks to get there...) But none the less, everyone seems to enjoy the water with not only tour boats filling the water ways, but locals with their water craft. I can see how it would be an enjoyable way to spend the day. What I did learn on this tour was that Amsterdam due to the incredible demand on property, had allocated it's land in very narrow packages. As such the houses are only one or two windows wide. This makes for a narrow but long house. Apparently there are gardens in the back of the homes which are spectacular. With the width of the home being what it is, there is some issue when it comes to moving furniture. So there are hooks at the top of each house, which was used in the warehouses in previous times, but are now used to take furniture in and out of the house as there is no way else to get it in...
My final stop on the way back to the ship was to take a quick tour of the Red Light District. Not being sure what to expect, it too was not seedy or sketchy from what I could tell. It was a bit strange to walk down the street and see mostly naked women standing in the windows looking at you. It is at that moment that you aren't quite sure what to do. Do you look away? You you smile and wave? Do you check out her outfit and wonder if you could have ever worn that? For the most part, I smiled like an idiot and kept walking, which seemed to the be option others were taking. I was truly amazed to see that there were in fact 'red lights' above their doors. I wonder if the red makes them look better... Anyway, it was interesting to see during the day, I'm sure it would be quite the sight at night. This photo, the woman was no longer in the window, but behind the curtains was the bed ~ yes, I was able to see it when I walked past. Definitely a different life.
Since we only dock here once, I was bound to make the best of it. I checked in with my old boss Stef ~ his girlfriend is from Amsterdam and figured she would have the inside scoop on what I needed to do. In the 3 hours I had, I managed to fit in a few things.
My first impression ~ do none of these people own cars? Every where you turned, you saw people on bikes like the one I rode when I was 9. There may be 2 gears if you are lucky, the basket seems to be a must and every where you go, there is parking for them. I wish I took a photo, but there was a 'parking garage' for bikes. Yes, just like a car garage, there were 3 levels, all side by side with racks for parking your bike. Amazing part, it was FULL!
As I got over the main mode of transportation, I set myself up to take a canal tour. It takes an hour and shows you the highlights of the city. Anouk was right, good way to get your bearings and see the city. The tour left at 2pm so I had a bit of time to wander around. I managed to wander through some streets catching sniffs of pot here, sniffs of pot there. I wonder how many people become stoned just from being 'around'. Anyway, the streets were cute, the stores sold everything from bongs, to mushrooms, to lingerie, to elaborate sex shops. The incredible part about it all was that despite the nature of the business, none of it was seedy. They were all respectable shops just out to do their business.
Made it back to the canal to board the boat ~ yes you would think I would have enough of the water tranportation ~ anyway... Only drawback on this was that the boat had a roof. It would have been a much more enjoyable cruise if the views had not been obstructed by the boat. Anyway, did my best to lean out with the camera and catch the snapshot of the canal.
Everything here is surrounded by water. I had no idea that Amsterdam had such an intricate water system. (Although I also didn't pay attention and apparently we had to pass through 2 locks to get there...) But none the less, everyone seems to enjoy the water with not only tour boats filling the water ways, but locals with their water craft. I can see how it would be an enjoyable way to spend the day. What I did learn on this tour was that Amsterdam due to the incredible demand on property, had allocated it's land in very narrow packages. As such the houses are only one or two windows wide. This makes for a narrow but long house. Apparently there are gardens in the back of the homes which are spectacular. With the width of the home being what it is, there is some issue when it comes to moving furniture. So there are hooks at the top of each house, which was used in the warehouses in previous times, but are now used to take furniture in and out of the house as there is no way else to get it in...
My final stop on the way back to the ship was to take a quick tour of the Red Light District. Not being sure what to expect, it too was not seedy or sketchy from what I could tell. It was a bit strange to walk down the street and see mostly naked women standing in the windows looking at you. It is at that moment that you aren't quite sure what to do. Do you look away? You you smile and wave? Do you check out her outfit and wonder if you could have ever worn that? For the most part, I smiled like an idiot and kept walking, which seemed to the be option others were taking. I was truly amazed to see that there were in fact 'red lights' above their doors. I wonder if the red makes them look better... Anyway, it was interesting to see during the day, I'm sure it would be quite the sight at night. This photo, the woman was no longer in the window, but behind the curtains was the bed ~ yes, I was able to see it when I walked past. Definitely a different life.
posted by Carrie @ 2:02 PM
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